This spicy Thai carrot and kale salad is coated in a creamy sriracha peanut butter dressing and makes a takeout worthy vegan salad.
I asked my mom when we were in the car together the other day and her horrific lite-FM station was on when the tipping point was that she stopped listening to new music and started listening to “oldie” stations.
I’ve honestly wondered this many times as each year passes and I continue to listen to whatever is new at the time.
Her response was “when I had to start listening to the school closings on the radio for your brother and you”. That was age 35 for my mom.
I’ll be 32 in about 50 days.
The whole conversation disturbed me.
I don’t have kids and even if I popped one out tomorrow, I’d be closer to the 40 year old mark if her scenario held true but, it’s still disturbing.
So, the conversation changed subjects and I vowed to never lose my grip on “good” music.
Fast forward to last weekend where there were five 30, 31 and 32 year old women in my house drinking wine (lots of wine), eating pizza, playing politically incorrect board games and Pandora in the background. What station immediately went on?
90s hip hop.
We were buzzed (some of us full out drunk) and there wasn’t anything better in the world than Biggie circa 1994 and a bunch of lyrics we could all belt out word for word like we did at many a high school parties involving kegs, boys and eventually, the police.
But I chalked that one up to the wine.
Now fast forward to yesterday when I’m in the kitchen for 5 hours and turned on Pandora.
I had full intentions of switching the station but then Jay-Z came on before I could find anything else. 1998 jigga man with “Can I Get A”.
I mean, come on. Does it get more iconic 90s hip hop than that?
Memories of driving to the SAT prep course my mom forced me to take (much to my annoyance), speeding down side roads with my friend who was also forced into the same fate by her parents and blasting this song to the point where the speakers in my 1993 Nissan Altima almost exploded.
Now fast forward to 4pm yesterday after potato pancakes and this Thai carrot kale salad have been made, photographed and edited and my throat is sore from singing to Jay-Z, Warren G, Usher, Keith Sweat and Biggie for 5 hours straight.
And that’s when I realized, the turning point already happened for me.
It may not have been induced by school closures for my non-existent kids, but it happened.
And ya know what? I’m cool with that.
Because no song today can even compete with a little “Twisted” by Keith Sweat.
This Thai carrot and kale salad? Well, it’s timeless.
The whole peanut sauce (or almond butter sauce like in this Pad Thai salad recipe) Thai thing has yet to get old.
This version is spiced up with some sriracha and tossed with some carrot strings (made with a julienne peeler) and thinly sliced Tuscan (lacinto) kale for a creamy, spicy side salad.
I love using either Tuscan or baby kale in salads like this because I find both so much more tender than the curly variety.
And while I love raw salads like this bok choy salad and these kohlrabi noodles, raw curly kale can be a bit much to chew.
My best baby kale salad recipe and this baby kale chicken cherry salad are great ones to try too!
If this carrot kale salad were a 90s song, I’d call it “Money Ain’t A Thang”. Badass and fun.
More Thai recipes like this:
Thai Basil Cashew Chicken Skillet
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Thai Chicken Zucchini Noodles
Sticky Thai Chicken
Spicy Thai Carrot and Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups carrot strings using a
- julienne peeler
- 2 cups thinly sliced tuscan kale
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1½ teaspoons sriracha
- 3 tablespoons almond milk
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- pinch of salt
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Toss carrots and kale together in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the remaining ingredients except sesame seeds in a small bowl. Add more milk if necessary to get the desired consistency.
- Pour dressing on top of the carrots and kale and toss until fully coated.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I like the recipe! Grammar and punctuation need work in the blog though.